This invention relates to an information transmission-controlling apparatus which can decrease the number of bits of characters constituting each word, thereby enabling a memory device to serve the purpose with a smaller capacity than otherwise required.
Generally, information consists of a series of words each containing one or more characters. The individual characters of each word are designated by a specified number of bits. For example, where each word included in the information appearing in an ordinary business handling bill contains a combination of numerals and letters, for example, of the alphabet, the the character bit number of the word is determined by a maximum bit number among those of the individual characters of said word. Customarily, a numeral is designated by four bits and a letter, for example, of the alphabet is denoted by six bits. Where, therefore, serially arranged words included in a given piece of information are each formed of a combination of numerals and, for example, alphabetical letter, then, the bit number of the word is regarded as being represented by six bits designating the alphabetical letter. In this state, information has hitherto been transmitted to an arithmetical processing device.
Namely, even where the greater part of a piece of information only consists of numerals, it has been necessary to designate the characters of all the words by six bits which actually need not be so designated. Hitherto, therefore, information has been transmitted to an arithmetic processing device in a state containing a large number of bits which can actually be eliminated.
Handling, for example, arithmetic operation or recording, of the individual items of information requires them to be stored in series in an arithmetic operation register or any other type of register. However, any type of register is naturally limited in a memory capacity and yet is demanded to store as much information as possible. On the other hand, acceleration of various forms of information-handling can obviously be effectively attained if information contains as small a number of bits as possible which should be read out.